Metal-enclosed switchgear



Oct. 12, 1954 c p WEST ENCLOSED SWITCHGEAR METAL- 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledNov. 8, 1950 IVENTOR Charles P.Wesf.

WITNESSES: avyj/w 2w 1 ATTORN EY Oct. 12, 1954 c, p, WEST METAL-ENCLOSEDSWITCHGEAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I3 INVENTOR Charles P. West.

WITNESSES:

Filed NOV. 8 1950 ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1954 c. P. WEST METAL-ENCLOSEDSWITCHGEAR 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 8, 1950 Fig.7.

Fig.|l.

INVENTOR Charles P. West. B7 M I ATTORNEY Oct. 12, 1954 c. P. WEST2,691,562

METAL-ENCLOSED SWITCHGEAR Filed Nov. 8, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 if S uWITNESSES: INVENTOR Charles P West.

BY w- [a ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 12, 1954 UNITED STATES i 'iNT OFFICEMETAL-ENCLOSED SWITCHGEAR Application November 8, 1950, Serial No.194,597

6 Claims.

My invention relates, generally, to metalenclosed switchgear and, moreparticularly, to metal-enclosed switchgear suitable for outdoor service.

An object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide a relativelylow-voltage metalenclosed switchgear unit which shall be simple andeificient in operation and which may be economically manufactured andinstalled.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide a relatively lowvoltage metal-enclosed switchgear unit which is suitable for outdoorservice.

Another object of my invention is to provide for constructing outdooormetal-enclosed switchgear units of different sizes from a line ofstandard parts which may be stocked by a switchgear manufacturer.

A further object of my invention is to provide outdoor metal-enclosedswitchgear units which may be assembled with any desired number of unitsjoined together in side-by-side relation.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a self-supportinginner switchgear unit with an outer housng added thereto to make aweatherproof structure.

Still another object of my invention is to provide for readilyincreasing the number of units in a switchgear installation.

Other objects of my invention will be explained fully hereinafter orwill be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In accordance with my invention, the main framework for a metal-enclosedswitchgear unit is constructed from parts which may be carried in stockand are so formed that they may be readily assembled into a unit whichis bolted to a suitable base. Door frames at the front and the rear ofthe unit which function as supports for the roof are provided fromstandard parts which are bolted to the main framework at each corner.Side sheets are attached to the corner members, thereby enclosing theunit to provide a weatherproof structure. Any desired number of unitsmay be bolted together in sideby-side relation.

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of my invention,reference may be had to the following detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, in front elevation, of a switchgear unit embodyingthe principal features of my invention, portions being broken away forclearness;

Fig. 2 is a view, in front elevation, of part of a switchgear unit withan end trim member added;

Fig. 3 is a View, in side elevation, of the switchgear unit, portionsbeing broken away;

Fig. 4 is a view, in section, taken along the line IV--IV in Fig. 3

Fig. 5 is a view, in plan, of part of the base for supporting the unit;

Fig. 6 is a view, in section, taken along the line VIVI in Fig. 4,certain parts being removed for clarity;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail View, partly in section and partly inelevation, of the upper lefthand front corner of the switchgear unit;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view, in front elevation, of the topportion of the left-hand front upright member of the unit;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view, in elevation, of the bottom portionof the left-hand upright member;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail view, in front elevation, of the bottomportion of the left-hand upright member;

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view, in plan, of a plat utilized forattaching an upright member to the base;

Fig, 12 is an enlarged detail view, in section, of a portion of the leftfront corner of the structure with the doors in the open position;

Fig. 13 is a view, similar to Fig. 12, of the left rear corner of thestructure, and

14 is an exploded view in perspective, illustrating the manner ofassembling the structure.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, thestructure shown therein comprises a unitary metal base ill upon which ismounted a main framework it which is enclosed by a metal housing 82. Thebase it comprises a pair of spaced channel members it upon which rests abase plate Hi. The plate M- has an inturned flange it at each end and adepending apron it at each side.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, an angle memher I! may be welded to oneof the channel members [3 at each corner of the rectangular base It). Acover plate l8 may be attached to the angle members I! at the front ofthe base by bolts I9.

racemes 3 A similar cover plate may be attached to the angle members Hat the rear of the base.

The main framework H is preferably of the type disclosed in my Patent2,424,345, issued July 22, 1947 and assigned to the same assignee as thepresent application. As shown most clearly in Fig. 4 the main frameworkmay be divided into two sections, each section of which includes a frontcompartment for housing circuit breakers or similar apparatus and a rearcompartment in T which bus bars and other electrical apparatus may bemounted.

Each front compartment comprises a pair of vertical side plates 2|disposed in spaced relation. The two inside plates of adjacent sectionsmay be joined together by bolts 22. Horizontal barriers may be providedbetween the side plates to provide a plurality of subcompartments at thefront of each section for housing the circuit breakers and otherapparatus (not shown).

Each side plate 2i is provided with an inturned edge 23 at the rearhaving a plurality of equally spaced openings, preferably square,provided therein. Similar openings 24 are provided in the side of eachplate 2; in spaced relation as shown in Fig. 3.

An angle member 25 is secured on the inside of each side plate 2!. Asshown most clearly in Fig. l, the angle members 25 are spaced a shortdistance from the inturned edges 213 and they extend the full length ofthe side plates. Each pair of side plates may be tied together at therear by plates 26 which are bolted to the angle members 25 by bolts 27.The plates 25 also function as barriers to separate the breakercompartments from the bus compartment at the rear of the structure.

Each pair of side plates may be tied together at the front by a channelmember 23 at the top and a fiat bar 29 at the bottom of the structure.Hinged panels or doors 3! of the usual type may be provided for thebreaker compartments. The doors 3i may be supported by hinges 32attached to the side plates 2i.

A rear or bus compartment may be formed at the rear of the front orbreaker compartments by vertically placing a rectangu ar frame a predetermined distance from the rear edges of the side plates 2 l. Therectangular frame comprises vertically disposed channel members 33 whichmay be tied to the side plates 21 by horizontally disposed channelmembers 3- and located at the top and the bottom, respectively, of thestructure. The horizontal members 34 and 35 may be bolted to theinturned edges 23 of the side plates 2: and to the vertical members 33.

The channel members 33, 34 and 35 are provided with a plurality ofsquare openings 24 spaced similarly to those in the side plates 24. Thevertical members 33 of the frame may be tied together by horizontallydisposed channel members 36 located at the top and the bottom of thestructure. The framework may be strengthened by providing corner braces3i as shown in Fig. 4.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, channel members 38 may be horizontallydisposed between the vertical members 33 and the side plates 2 i. Themembers 33 may be adjustabiy secured to the channel members 33 and theinturned edges 23 of the side plates 2| by brackets 39 which may bebolted in position at any desired height by utilizing the openings 24.

Bus bars 41 may be adjustably mounted on the channel members 38 in themanner described in my Patent 2,445,463, issued July 20, 1948. Thus,

d the bus bars M may be adjusted both vertically and horizontally to anydesired position in the bus compartment.

The main framework ii may be bolted to the base it by bolts 52 whichextend through the plates 23, bolts 43 which extend through the channelmembers 36 into the base plate l4, and by brackets Mi which are attachedto the channel members 35 and are bolted to the base plate M by bolts d5As shown in Fig. 5, nuts ill may be welded to the underside of the plateHi for the bolts which extend through the plate.

As described in my aforesaid patents, the main framework ll may beassembled in units of different dimensions from parts carried in stock.Furthermore, the main framework is self-supporting and is capable ofsupporting the weight of the apparatus mounted in the framework andwithstanding the stresses imposed by current carried by the bus bars inthe bus compartment.

In order to make the structure suitable for outdoor service, the housingIt is provided for enclosing the main framework H. The housing 12comprises an upright member #53 disposed at each front corner of thebase if], an upright member 4'! disposed at each rear corner of thebase, a hinged door 33 at the front of the housing, a similar door 39 atthe rear of the housing, side sheets 5! and 52, and a roof structure 53.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 12, each upright member d6 has an inwardlyextending flange E l which is bolted. to the side plate 21, therebyoffsetting the upright member from the side plate 35. In this manner thedoor 3i which is hinged to the side plate 2! is permitted to swing openthrough an angle greater than when the door 3 is opened, therebypermitting the circuit breakers to be removed from the compartments inthe main framework.

The upright member 46 has a doubled-back portion 35 which provides arounded edge 5.6 at the front of the structure. The upright member maybe bolted to the base plate 14 by bolts 5'! which extend through anangle plate 53 welded to the upright member d5. A 2 bar 53 is attachedto the upright member t6, thereby providing a trough or gutter parallelto the upright member 43 for the flanged door 48.

As shown in Fig. 13, each upright member t"! has an inwardly extendingflange 55 which is attached to the channel member 33 of the mainframework, thereby oifsetting the upright member 41 from the frameworkthe same distance as the upright member 6. The upright member 47 has adoubled-back portion 62 which provides a rounded edge 53 at the rear ofthe structure. Ihe upright member may be bolted in the base M by bolts5? which extend through an angle plate '54 welded to the upright member.A 2 bar 69 is attached to the upright member 4'! to provide a trough forthe rear door :29.

The upright members 66 may be attached to the side plates 2i by bolts65. Likewise, the up right members 4'! may be attached to the chap-- nelmembers 33 by bolts 56. The side sheets '5! may be attached to theupright members by bolts 3?. Spacing members 83 may be provided betweenthe side sheets El and the channel members 35 to stiffen the side sheets5 I.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, the upright members it and llextend above the main framework H to support the roof structure 53. Theroof is supported by angle members 69 which may be attached to theupright members by bolts 70. The roof structure may be of the typedescribed in the copending application of G. L. Claybourn et al., SerialNo. 783,170, filed October 30, 1947, now Patent No. 2,615,775, issuedOctober 28, 1952.

As shown, the roof structure comprises a metal roof sheet 7| for eachhousing unit. The sides of each roof sheet are bent at right angles toand upwardly from the roof surface to form upstanding flanges it. Asshown most clearl in Fig. 3, the ends of each roof sheet ll extendbeyond the unit enclosure at both the front and rear of the housing andare bent downwardly to provide drip. edge extensions '53 and it at thefront and the rear, respectively, of the housing. The roof sheet I! maybe held in place by spot welding it to the angle members 59.

As shown most clearly in Fig. l, the seam between the fianges 72 onadjacent units may be sealed by an angle shaped metal plate having legs16 of equal length. The sealing plate "55 may be retained in position bytongue plates ll which are secured to the sealing plate l and aredisposed between the flanges '52. The tongue plates 7! extend below thebottom surface of the roof sheet 2! and are provided with slots throughwhich wedges it are driven.

As shown in Fig. 1, an end trim 85 may be provided at either one or bothends of the housing unit when it is anticipated that additional unitswill be added to the switchgear installation. When an additional unit isadded the end trim 8! may be removed, thereby permitting the additionalunit to. be joined to the unit already installed. lf it is thought thatno additional units will be added at one end of the originalinstallstion, an end trim 82 may be provided in place of the side sheets5! and 52 as shown in Fig. 2. A bafiie casting 83 may be provided ateach end of the angle shaped sealing plates it to close the: ends of thesealing plate.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 1, 3 and 7, a cross member 85 is providedbetween the upright members 46 at the front of the structure and asimilar cross member is provided at the rear of the structure. The crossmember 85 has a U shaped flange 86 at its bottom, thereby providing atrough or gutter for the top flange of the door 48 at the front or thedoor is at the rear of the housing.

The cross member 85 may be attached to the Z bar 59 and by bolts 87which are threaded into spacing members t8 welded to the back of thecross member 85. A gusset plate 89 may also be attached to the 2 bar 59by the bolts 87. The gusset plate 89 is disposed behind the flange 8t onthe cross member 85 to stiffen the cross memher.

In order to provide for ventilating the housing, a plurality of openings9! are provided near the top of the cross members 85. A metal screen 92is disposed in the space between the cross members 85 and the drip edge73 at the front of the housing and a similar screen is disposed betweenthe cross member 85 and the drip edge M at the rear of the housing. Thescreen may be attached to the cross member by bolts 93. In this mannerair which is admitted to the housing through screens (not shown)attached to the bottom of the doors 48 and 43 is permitted to leave thehousing through the openings 9| in the cross members 85 and the screens92. The screens prevent birds or animals from entering the housing.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 3, the door 48 may be retainedclosed by locking bars 6 9d and 95 which are actuated by a handle 96mounted on the outside of the door. The door 39 may be retained closedby similar bars 94 and Q5 and a handle 96. If desired, provision may bemade for locking the handles 96 in the closed position.

As illustrated in Fig. 14, the switchgear unit may be constructed byassembling the inner unit and attaching it to the base, attaching theuprights to the inner unit, tieing the uprights together at the top withthe cross members and angle members and then adding the doors and theroof. The side sheets and trim members are preferably added last.

As explained hereinbefore, a plurality of switchgear units such as shownherein may be disposed side-by-side to provide any desired num ber ofunits in a switchgear installation. The bases of adjacent units may beconnected together by bolts 9'! which extend through the angle membersll welded to the channel members i3 in the manner previously described.The seams between the roof sheets of the adjacent units may be sealed bythe plates in the manner previously described. Thus, any desired numberof units may be provided in an installation, and other units may beadded at any desired time.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided ametal-enclosed switchgear unit which is suitable for outdoor service andwhich may be constructed from standard parts which may be carried instock by a switchgear manufacturer. A saving in the amount of materialrequired is effected since only the main framework which supports theswitchgear apparatus inside the housing is required to be of heavy gaugesteel. The weatherproofing members which form the outer housing needonly be strong, enough to support the roof and the outer doors. Thus,the cost of constructing the unit is reduced.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above described constructionand different embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the fore going description or shown in the accompanyingdrawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A metal-enclosed switchgear unit comprising,'a generally rectangularbase having a flat surface, a generally cubical framework attached tosaid surface and having compartments therein for supporting switchgearapparatus, the cross sectional area of said framework being less thanthe area of the flat surface of the base, a flanged upright memberdisposed at each corner of the base and extending above the mainframework, each corner of the framework being set inwardly from thecorresponding corner of the base by the flange on one of said uprightmembers which is attached to the framework, a metal roof supported bythe upright members above the framework, a door at the front and therear of the unit, said doors being supported by part of the uprightmembers, and side sheets attached to the right members, said side sheetsbeing spaced from the framework by a distance substantially equal to thedepth of the flanges on the upright members.

2. A metal-enclosed switchgear unit comprising, a generally rectangularbase having a flat surface, a generally cubical framework attached tosaid surface and having compartments therein for supporting switchgearapparatus, the crosssectional area of said framework being less than thearea of the flat surface of the base, a generally Z-shaped uprightmember disposed at each front corner of the base and extending above theframework, a generally U-shaped upright member disposed at each rearcorner of the base and extending above the framework, each front cornerof the main framework being set inwardly from the corresponding frontcorner of the base by one of said iii-shaped members which is attachedto said base and to the framework, each rear corner of the frameworkbeing set inwardly from the corresponding rear corner of the base by oneof said U-shaped members which is attached to said base and to theframework, a metal roof spaced from the framework and supported by theupright members, a Z bar attached to each upright member and cooperatingwith said member to form a gutter parallel to the upright member, a doorhinged on one of the 2 bars at the front of the unit, another doorhinged on one of the 2 bars at the rear of the unit, each. door havingflanges disposed in said gutters when the door is closed, and sidesheets attached to the upright members, said side sheets being spacedfrom the framework by said upright members.

3. A metal-enclosed switchgear unit comprising, a generally rectangularbase having a fiat surface with a notch at each corner of. said surface, a generally cubical framework attached to said surface and havingcompartments therein for supporting switchgear apparatus, thecrosssectional area of said framework being less than the area of theflat surface of the base, a generally Z-shaped upright member having aprojection disposed in the notch at each front corner of the base, agenerally Ushaped upright member having a projection disposed in thenotch at each rear corner of the base, said upright members extendingabove the framework, each front corner of the framework being setinwardly from the corresponding front corner of the base by one of saidZ-shaped members which is attached to said base and to the framework,each rear corner of the framework being set inwardly from thecorresponding rear corner of the base by one of said U-shaped memberswhich is attached to said base and to the framework, a metal roof spacedfrom the framework and supported by the upright members, a Z barattached to each upright member and cooperating with said memher to forma gutter parallel to the upright member, a flanged door at the front andthe rear of the unit, each door being hinged on one upright member andhaving a flange disposed in the gutter on another upright member whenclosed, each upright member having a doubleback portion at its edgeadjacent a door, and side sheets attached to the upright members, saidside sheets being spaced from the framework by said upright members.

4. A metal-enclosed switchgear unit comprising, a generally rectangularbase having a fiat surface, a generally cubical framework attached tosaid surface and having compartments therein for supporting switchgearapparatus, the crosssectional area of said framework being less than thearea of the flat surface of the base, an upright member disposed at eachcorner of the base and extending above the framework, each uprightmember having an inwardly extending flange attached to the frameworkthereby setting each corner of the framework inwardly from thecorresponding corner of the base, a metal roof spaced from the frameworkand supported by the upright members, a Z bar attached to each uprightmember and cooperating with said member to form a gutter parallel to theupright memher, a cross member disposed between the upright membersabove the framework at the front of the unit, said cross member having aU-shaped flange to form a. gutter along the bottom of the cross member,a similar cross member disposed between the upright members above theframework at the rear of the unit, a flanged door at the front and therear of the unit, the flanges on the doors being disposed in saidgutters when the doors are closed, said cross members having ventilatingopenings therein above the doors, and side sheets attached to theupright members, said side sheets being spaced from the framework bysaid upright members.

5. A metal-enclosed switchgear unit comprising, a generally rectangularbase having a fiat surface with a notch at each corner of said surface,a generally cubical framework attached to said surface and havingcompartments therein for supporting switchgear apparatus, thecrosssectional area of said framework being less than the area of thehat surface of the base, an upright member having a projection disposedin the notch at each corner of the base, said upright members extendingabove the framework, each upright member having an inwardly extendingflange attached to the framework thereby setting each corner of theframework inwardly from the corresponding corner of the base, a metalroof spaced from the framework and supported by the upright members, a 2bar attached to each upright member and cooperating with said member toform a gutter parallel to the upright member, a cross member disposedbetween the upright members above the framework at the front of theunit, said cross member having a U-shaped flange to form a gutter alongthe bottom of the cross member, a similar cross member disposed betweenthe upright members above the framework at the rear of the unit, aflanged door at the front and the rear of the unit, the flanges on thedoors being disposed in said gutters when the doors are closed, saidcross members having ventilating openings therein above the doors, eachdoor being hinged on oneupright member and closing against the Z bar onanother upright member, and side sheets attached to the upright members.

6. Ina metal-enclosed switchgear unit, in combination, a generallyrectangular base having. a flat surface with a notch at each corner ofsaid surface, a pair of spaced vertical side plate members mounted onsaid surface to provide a switch compartment between the side plates, apair of vertical frame members. spaced from each other and from the rearof the side plates to provide a bus compartment at the rear of theswitch compartment, horizontal frame members for connecting thevertical. frame members to the side plates, an upright member having aprojection disposed in the notch at each corner of the base, saidupright members extending above said vertical mernloers',- each uprightmember having an inwardly extending flange attached to a verticalvmember thereby setting the vertical members inwardly from the ends andthe sides of the base, a metal roof disposed above the vertical membersand supported by the upright members, a switch compartment door hingedon one of said side plate members, and an outer door hinged on theupright member which is attached to and offset from the side platemember on which the compartment door is hinged, whereby said switchcompartment door is free to swing through an are greater than 90 whensaid outer door is opened more than 90.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberNumber 10 Name Date Ringel Nov. 24, 1936 Rubel Apr. 9, 1940 Strong eta1. Feb. 24, 1942 Reed et a1. Nov. '7, 1944 Garvin Aug. 30, 1949Volgovskoy Dec. 12, 1950 Claybourn Jan. 23, 1951 Wolfe June 3, 1952

